show youhowdanicapatricklefther tire marks. >>> rift was made in nascar todayasdanicapatrickbecamethe first woman to qualify in the top spot. >> patrick earned the pole position for the daytona 500. it is the biggest achievement of her career. posting a lap of more than 196 miles per hour. only four-time champion jeff gordon came even close to knocking her off. no woman had ever qualified higher than ninth. patrick now looks to become the first woman to win a nascar race when the daytona 500 takes place one week from today. >>> right now checking in with more sports with henry wofford of comcast sportsnet. >> we'll take a trip out to the cactus state. green and gold used the last year's success to motivate them? plus he was a great player during hez time at the bay. now jeff kent is helping his former squad in the desert. a live report from arizona is next. >>> welcome back to nbc bay area. even when&ax past your prime, it's difficult to walk away from the game. a former giants slugger was helping out in spring training. let's get on out there where we're at spring training camp r

before him have. >>>also,danicapatrickracesinto the history books. what she did today that has never been done before. >>> and an artist will play his piano one final time tonight. we'll tell you about that coming up. >>> we're seeing a slightly cooler sunday compared to yesterday, which had 50s and some 60s outside right now. all locations running cooler in the last 24 hours. pu can see we've got our storm system that will lead to big changes arounded the bay area as we head into the new week. >>> two well-known california politicians were on "meet the press" today. lieutenant governor gavin newsom and business executive and former california republican candidate for u.s. senate carly fiorina squared off in the roundtable part of the program inspect. they traded accusations from the economy to the dysfunction in washington. >> it's time for us to lean in again and hold these guys up to a higher level of expectation. you want to move the mouse, you got to move the cheese. we've got to change incentives in this country for good behavior not the kind we're seeing. >> i find it stunning

something totoast.danicapatrickmakinghistory on nascar's biggest stage. >>> welcome back. liquor lovers all over the world celebrating a kentucky classic keeping its original flavor down to the last drop. a new decision, a major backlash from customers convincing the producer of maker's mark to reverse the decision to cut down on alcohol in its bottles. just last week the company announced plans to lower the alcohol from 45% to 42% because of a supply shortage. but after an outpouring of those who toast the beverages on social media, the company says it will restore the alcohol content back to its original level. >>> one of the most dangerous sailing trips in the world has ended right here in the san francisco bay and in record time. the rating yacht maserati is docked in the bay this morning. it just traveled 13,000 miles from new york around cape horn off the southern tip of south america. the crew completed the trip in just over 47 days beating an old record for a single-hulled sailboat. beating the previous mark by 11 days set in 1998. the nine member of the masser atty's cre

. >> thank you very much. 4:55 right now.nascar'sdanicapatrickmakinghistory in that fast lane becoming the first woman to qualify in the top starting position for the upcoming daytona 500. the 30 year old claiming that pole position yesterday posting a lap of 196 miles per hour. that is moving. only four-time daytona champ and vallejo native jeff gordon came close to knocking her off but could not do it. until now, no other woman has ever qualified higher than ninth at daytona. patrick will now have to get behind the wheel and try to win the whole thing on sunday's race. big stuff there. >> that girl is on fire. >> literally. that should be her theme song. >>> coming up, we'll update you on breaking news overnight in the south bay. a police pursuit followed by a deadly rollover. artu >> we give you a live look over san francisco. the palace of fine arts out there. looks like a very calm day but prepare for some cooler temperatures after being spoiled over the weekend and this past week. christina loren will tell you about that coming up. >> reporter: a suspect driving a stolen

a historic day in racingasdanicapatrickbreaksdown a longstanding barrier. we'll show you, next. >>> nbc bay area news starts now. >>> good evening. i'm diane dwyer. >> i'm terry mcsweeney. less than two weeks before pope benedict steps down, a massive crowd gathered to hear what could be one of his last public prayers. 50,000 people came to st. peter's square, doubled last week's crowd. >> reporter: in rome where there is no shortage of must-see attractions, suddenly elderly pope benedict is number one on everyone's list. today he delivered his weekly prayer from his balcony just as he has for nearly eight years, but this crowd was worthy of a rock star. iz exit from his last public mass on ash wednesday turned churchgoers into paparazzi. the hottest ticket in town? benedict's final audience on february 27 th, the day before he steps down. 35,000 people have already requested free tickets says

.danicapatrickhasqualified for the pole position, and will lead the pack for nascar's biggest event on sunday. jeff gordon was able to brag how he was the fastest guy out there during qualifying. he will start alongside patrick on the front row. >>> office supply stores may be like airlines. there could just be a few big ones left. there are reports today that office max and office depot are thinking of becoming one. they would combine forces to go up against the industry leader, staples. >>> she said it with a smile, but first lady michelle obama says her much-discussed and mildly controversial bangs were the result of a mid life crisis on her 49th birthday. in an interview with rachael ray, she joked that they won't allow her to bungee jump, and she can't buy a sports car so instead, she says, she got bangs. >>> up next here tonight, what beautiful thing is going on off the coast of california. extraordinary sight in southern california, and what it might mean. put it this way. if you've ever spotted a dolphin out on the water in the wild, you know it's really something. but it's

points. 71-49. >>> nascardriverdanicapatrickmakeshistory as the first woman to win pole position for next week's daytona 500 or any sprint cup race. four-time champ jeff gordon finished with the second best this time. patrick gets the coveted starting spot. >>> and during his florida golf weekend, president obama played in a foursome with tiger woods. no cameras were allowed, no word on the president's score. he reportedly told woods it was good to see him "play well again." >>> in canada, the basketball coach at brennan university took a half-court shot and -- watch -- makes it. the surprise resulted in free tuition for a student who was smart enough to choose the right person to take the shot. >>> "early today" sports is brought to you by touch of gray. get rid of some gray, never all. >>> ahead, bruce willis is back on top. and brangelina's adventure. find out what "snl" had to see about the carnival cruise disaster. you're watching "early today." >>> welcome back. i was men shopping the winter weather heading in to the west and diving down. already we have winter storm warnin

danicapatrickraisedinto the history books. >>> this the latest on the murder investigation. >>> this year will mark the 50th vickry of thes as is nation of president john f. kennedy. today there was high interest in an auction house in moose mass where thousands of kennedy items were auctioned off. a large collection of photographs and items all belonged to dave powers, kennedy's personal assistant and cloe close friend. some of the more notable items were rare pictures of the first couple, seal, air force one bomber jacket and his schedule from the day he was assassina d assassinated. >> amazing amount of people. it's blogging down the auction site. >> i'm mt. medical field and some of the tests that i read about in this letter is some of the things i do on a daily basis. >> the family discovered the collection last year when they were preparing to sell his home. >>> history is made in nascar today as patrick became the first woman to qualify in the top spot. patrick earned the pole position for the daytona 500. it is the biggest achievement of her career. the 30-year-old

,danicapatrickearnedthe biggest achievement of her four-year nascar career. patrick became the first woman to secure the coveted pole position, the top spot in next weekend's daytona 500. she drove the 2 1/2-mile course in just under 49 seconds, averaging 196.4 miles per hour. just behind her was jeff gordon, a three-time daytona 500 winner, who congratulated patrick and said he was the fastest guy today. >>> and this is gonna make a lot of folks see their own youth pass right before their eyes. michael jordan turned 50 today. has it really been a decade since perhaps the greatest nba star of all time retired? and almost three decades since his pro career was launched with the chicago bulls? jordan redefined how we think of basketball and air. with his air jordan brand for nike, he was and is the face behind one of the most successful marketing campaigns in history, a true all-star for all time. >>> and up next, a school where giving back is now a lesson learned. >>> finally tonight, a story that proves that almost anyone can make a difference in the lives of others. it's about

someone else withfocus,danicapatrickcruisesinto history doing something no woman has ever done before. >>> the surprising reason many adults join facebook. we'll look at business and technology news. >>> a new study says at least half of all moms say they join facebook to keep tabs on their kids. scott mcgrew, this according to a study from an educational foundation. >> a foundation with which they are not familiar. it is an interesting idea that many adults join facebook against their will. if that's true, it will make them harder to advertise to. the study created by a college search website called education online says 98% of those parents who were on facebook have friended their own children in order to watch them. ironically antidotal evidence tells us those kids are using facebook less in favor of messaging each other via instagram and posting on tumbler. >>> tesla reports financials on wednesday. elon musk says this year the company will turn a profit. according to a blog all things digital, s drivers made the drive up the east coast. all but two cars made it. one broke down wi

federal assault charge. >>> another history-making winfordanicapatrick. stockcar driver became the first woman to nab a top spot for any race in nascar's premiere circuit, winning the daytona 500 pole with a lap topping 196 miles per hour at the international speedway in florida. she says she was raised to be the fastest driver, not the fastest girl. she proved that. >>> talk about nerves of steel. diver ocean ramsey ditched her shark cage to tag along with the real deal. a massive great white shark, hitching a ride on its dorsal fin, the pair float along peacefully. she shot the video for go pro. she's been swimming with sharks since she was 12 years old. >> i knew it was going to be good because of the peaceful music that we're hearing, not the -- big difference in the music, right? that's always the key sign. >>> mr. roker, gosh, i can't believe boston's got it again. >> they do, and now cold air and wind to deal with as well, as does much of the northeast. it feels like it's 2 below in boston. air temperature of 16. 4 in watertown. afternoon temperatures bounce back not very mu

in the rising stars game. >> have you heard about this?nascar'sdanicapatrickmadehistory. she's the first woman to qualify in the top spot for the daytona 500. the 30 year old claimed the pole position yesterday posting a lap of 196 miles per hour. now until now no other woman has qualified higher than ninth at daytona. patrick will try to win that race on sunday. >> great for sports. lots of attention. >> i love seeing women break through any sort of sport. especially the things that guys are known for. that's huge. 6:17. we're looking good out there. a live look at what's happening high atop the ferry building. look at that. we have two american flags on this washington's birthday/presidents day/scott mcgrew muddling things up for us this morning. it's muddled. greatest part about being in the bay area is the beautiful weather that we get around here. we had gorgeous conditions. you see we widen out for you. foggy. gorgeous conditions over the weekend. today we're going to go back to that standard winter weather pattern. we'll get the fog in the morning and then the fog breaks

president's immigration reform proposal.>>>danicapatrickmakeshistory in daytona. >>> a new hope for han solo. >>> and the nation's greatest president immortalized in cheddar. "early today" starts right now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> very good morning to you. it's nice to see you. i'm veronica de la cruz. the world of country music has lost a memorable voice. mindy mccready died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. she sold more than three million of albums but was plagued by alcohol abuse and stints in rehab. we have a look at her rise to fame and her public downfall. >> reporter: mindy mccready started her rise to fame in 1996 with her debut album "10,000 angels" which would go on to earn multi-platinum status. in the years that followed she would release four more albums, charting 12 songs on the country billboard singles chart. from the first rapid climb to fame it would be more her private life that kept her name in the headlines.